Wagner’s “Tannhauser” Opens at Sofia Opera to Enthusiastic Reception

Dahnyelle Dymytrov

Tannhauser at the Sofia Opera, June 26, 2025 (BTA Photo/Nikola Uzunov)

Sofia,

27.06.2025 11:53

(BTA)

The premiere of Tannhauser at the Sofia Opera ended with a 10-minute standing ovation, cheers of “Bravo!”, and an audience on its feet.

Audience members described Acad. Plamen Kartaloff - the director of this production and of the opera company - as a true master, a Wagner expert, a visionary, and a world-class director. Tannhauser is the ninth Wagner opera in the repertoire under his leadership and marks the opening of the Wagner Festival in Sofia.

The nearly five-hour-long production features an entirely Bulgarian cast. “This is a major achievement for the Sofia Opera, which in recent years has proven itself on the world stage as fully capable - through its soloists and orchestra - of staging Wagner’s works, thanks also to Acad. Kartaloff’s consistent efforts to discover new voices for Wagnerian opera,” the company noted.

“The music of Tannhauser is the music of a free person - free from prejudice and the limits of reason. Our production, staged during a jubilee year for the Catholic Christian world, is a form of spiritual cleansing, salvation, and forgiveness,” said Plamen Kartaloff.

The Tannhauser creative team includes conductor Constantin Trinks, set designer Sven Jonke, costume designer Hristiyana Mihaleva-Zorbalieva, and lighting designer Andrey Khaydinyak. Musical preparation was led by conductor Velizar Genchev, with movement direction by Maria Ilieva and assistant direction by Yulia Krusteva.

The cast featured Martin Iliev as Tannhauser, Petar Buchkov as Hermann, Landgrave of Thuringia, Tsvetana Bandalovska as Elisabeth, Radostina Nikolova and Gabriela Georgieva as Venus, along with Atanas Mladenov, Emil Pavlov, Stefan Vladimirov, Angel Antonov, Angel Hristov, and Maria Pavlova.

The event was attended by Culture Minister Marian Bachev. At the end of the show there were floral tributes from the President, the Prime Minister, the National Assembly Chair, the Mayor of Sofia, representatives of the Union of Democratic Forces, the Bulgarian Development Bank, the Sofia Military Academy, the Musical Theater, and the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), whose Director General Kiril Valchev was among the guests.

/NF/